I'm Coming Home, Tell the World I'm Coming Home
by Arabian3332
Summary: Set immediately post 2x04. Jamie is reunited with the team and Mitch.


**[A/N]: Set immediately post 2x04.**

xXx

Jamie stepped out of the bus, ready to go down fighting. She owed her friends that. But then a dart came out of nowhere, hitting the bear and bringing it down. A dark-haired woman stepped out of the mist, holding a gun. "How many are in the school?" she demanded.

Jamie registered this, but something else caught her attention before she could reply. Figures, obscured by the mist but moving closer. As they neared, she saw they were human. Her body worked as her mind saw this, kicking her legs into motion. She walked briskly, then broke into a run.

They were her friends. Abe, and Jackson, and Mitch. Oh god, _Mitch_. She ran up to him, throwing her arms around him. He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. He held her like he was afraid to lose her again, something that comforted Jamie more than anything had since she'd woken up after the plane crash. She saw Abe and Jackson behind Mitch, along with a woman she'd never seen before. The woman who'd saved her still held her gun aloft, moving back towards the others with a watchful eye on their surroundings. But there was one person she didn't see: Chloe.

Mitch pulled back, voice quiet and rough. " _Jamie_." His hands tentatively framed her face, shaking like he was trying to reassure himself she really was there in front of him.

Jamie covered his hands with hers. "It's- it's been a while," she said, stuttering a little.

Mitch lowered his hands from her face, entwining their fingers together and stepping away a bit. Jamie was pulled into hugs from Jackson and Abe, the former's a warm half-hug and the latter' a joyful bear hug. She laughed at Abe's enthusiasm. "Hi, Abe."

"Hello, Jamie," Abe said with a smile. "It is good to have you back with us."

"It's good to be back. Where's Chloe?" she questioned, looking around for the blonde.

The change was instantaneous. The mood of the whole team shifted, turning melancholy and strained. "She...didn't make it," Abe said softly.

Jamie's free hand flew up to cover her mouth. "Oh..." Moisture filled her eyes. She swiped it away with her free hand, swallowing.

A yell from the direction of the school made everyone jump. Curtis was stumbling towards them, holding his stomach, hand full of blood. A bear ambled after him at a leisurely place, seeming unconcerned by its prey's slow getaway. Until Curtis started moving faster, reaching out to them. Then the bear went in for the kill, making Jamie wince.

"We need to go," the woman with the gun said. "I only have a few more darts. We need to save as many as possible."

Mitch kept Jamie's hand in his, leading her into the mist after the others. She followed him blindly until a jet came into view. Her steps slowed, and Mitch glanced back. "Don't worry. I didn't like the idea at first either. But it's safe."

Jamie nodded, following him up the ramp. The door closed behind them, and Jamie looked around, hand slipping from Mitch's as she turned slowly around. If it looked large on the outside, it seemed even bigger inside. She marveled at it for a moment until a voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"So you're Jamie." Jamie turned to the dark-haired, severe-looking woman. "You must mean a great deal to Mitch for him to be so insistent about coming to get you."

Mitch's voice took on a warning tone. "Allison-"

"I'm sorry, we haven't met," Jamie said politely. "Jamie Campbell." She held out a hand to shake.

The woman's handshake was firm. "Allison Morgan."

"You're related to Mitch?"

Allison gave her a wry smile. "I'm his stepmother."

"Mitch never mentioned you."

Mitch cleared his throat. "Well, that's an easy one. We haven't spoken in twelve years." This did nothing to dispel the tension, so he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, my lab's this way if you want to see it."

Jamie smiled at him. "Sure." She looked hesitant, then added, "And you can look at my foot. I don't think the doctors in Caraquet did a good job."

Mitch looked alarmed. "What happened to your foot?"

Jamie winced. "I stepped on a wayward stick, injured my toe. It, uh, had to be amputated."

"WHAT?! You got your toe _amputated_?! And not even in a real hospital?!"

Jamie bit her lip. "It was sort of done before we made it to Caraquet."

"In the middle of the WOODS! This just keeps getting _better and better_!" Mitch groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I need to make sure it's not getting infected."

Jamie followed him away from Allison and into his lab, smiling at the setup. "This is so _you_ , Mitch. You must love it."

"I would if I wasn't trying to use it to save the world."

Jamie hopped up on the table in the middle of the room, swinging her leg up onto it. She unlaced her boot, pulling it off and setting it aside. She eased her sock off, a pained breath hissing out as she removed it from the poorly-wrapped bandage around her foot. Mitch grabbed a roll of fresh bandages and antiseptic before moving to inspect her foot, unwrapping the bandage carefully. The bandage stuck a bit on dried blood, making Jamie grit her teeth. "Sorry," Mitch muttered, trying to be gentle. He set the old bandage aside, applying antiseptic. He eyed the stump of her toe warily. "I'll have to watch that for a while," he mumbled, almost to himself. He re-wrapped her foot, winding the bandages snugly but not tight enough to cut off circulation.

Mitch looked up to see Jamie watching him, a soft look on her face. "All done," he said simply.

Jamie scooted closer to him, moving her leg to dangle it off the side of the table alongside the other. "My hero," she said lightly before placing a hand on the side of his face and leaning in slowly, hovering uncertainly a few inches from him.

Mitch closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to hers. They kissed softly for a moment until Jamie's hand moved from his face to his shoulder, bringing him closer to her. Mitch braced his arms on the table as Jamie deepened the kiss, hands traveling up to tangle in his hair. He wrapped an arm around her, and felt her smile against his lips. They broke apart for air, and Jamie said breathily, "I missed you."

Mitch grinned. "I missed you too."

Jamie moved to kiss him again, but they broke apart seconds later as the lab's door opened.

The entire team stood there, Allison and the other dark-haired woman raising their eyebrows while Jackson looked confused and Abe smirked knowingly. "You owe me five dollars, Rafiki."

Jamie slid away from Mitch, hopping off the table while favoring her uninjured foot. "You had a bet?"

Abe looked unapologetic. "Yes. But who made the first move?"

Mitch folded his arms. "That- that's none of your business."

Jamie smiled at Mitch, shaking her head before turning to Abe. "What he means is we have bigger things to worry about than our love life. Did you find a cure? Did the leopard help?"

"About that...wrong DNA. The animals' DNA mutated faster than we anticipated. The leopard didn't help," Mitch answered grimly.

"So where are we now? Do we have anything?" Jamie asked, dismayed.

Jackson raised his hand sheepishly. "That'd be me." He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the healing animal bite. "This...mutated my DNA. It's been spreading to humans. Mitch has been trying to use my DNA to find a cure."

"Wait. Your DNA was mutated by a bite? How is it spreading to humans?"

"We don't know. Maybe like an infection? Try not to get bitten or scratched until we have a cure," Mitch added in.

Abe smirked at them, and both Mitch and Jamie shot him a glare. The dark-haired woman who stood close to Abe shifted from foot to foot.

Jamie waved at her. "I didn't catch your name. I'm Jamie, and thanks for the save back there."

She nodded. "Dariela. And no problem."

Silence fell, and Jackson cleared his throat. "I'm going to go get something to eat. Abe, Dariela, care to join me?" He exited the lab, Abe and Dariela following close behind him, leaving Mitch and Jamie with Allison.

Mitch rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, and glanced over at Jamie to see her doing the same thing. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, and turned into an awkward smile when she met his gaze.

Allison studied the pair for a moment before turning on her heel and leaving the lab. Mitch let out a breath, half-sighing.

"There's tension there, isn't there," Jamie remarked.

Mitch nodded. "Yes, there is. I'll explain later. For now, you must be starving. Let's go get you something to eat."

Jamie laid a hand on his arm. "Can I change first? After everything in Caraquet, it feels... _wrong_ to wear these clothes." She tugged at her t-shirt.

"Of course. What exactly happened in Caraquet, anyways?" Mitch led her out of the lab and into the team's living quarters.

Jamie shuddered. "I thought we were safe. They let us shower, gave us clothes and let us eat. But then this girl, Maddie, tried to warn me. She told me to run. Later, I found out why. The people there voted each month for The Feeding. They were _feeding people_ to the _animals_ , Mitch. At the meeting, they voted to send out Maddie and I. The next morning, they brought us out and banged pots, calling the bears. They threw us outside the fence. They were going to let us be killed, Mitch. They...they were going to _watch_. It was horrible." She glanced sideways at Mitch, whose lips had moved to a thin line. He opened a door, heading inside. Jamie followed him, finding a small bedroom. His bed was shoved into one corner, bedspread thrown carelessly onto it. In the other corner sat a dresser covered in half-empty liquor bottles next to a wardrobe. Mitch opened up the dresser, pulling out some clothes and handing them to her.

"We didn't have anything of yours to bring," he said apologetically.

Jamie took them from him, eyes lingering on the bottles for a moment. "It's not your fault. I'll borrow from Dariela tomorrow, if she'll let me." She hovered awkwardly for a moment.

"Oh, sorry. Your room's this way." Mitch led her out the door and across the hall, down a few feet, opening the door. "Here you are."

Jamie thanked him before heading inside, giving him a half-smile and closing the door. After it closed, she pulled off her t-shirt and removed her jeans, throwing them over to the side with the intention of never touching them again. She smiled as she pulled on the shirt from Mitch, seeing the UCLA logo. She stepped into the pair of drawstring sweatpants, tying them around her waist. She studied herself in the simple mirror hanging above the dresser, then sank to the floor, leaning her back against her bed, and crying. As tears streamed down her face, she let go of all the emotions she'd been bottling up since the plane crash. She'd been telling herself that then wasn't the time and she'd dwell on it later. Well, now was the time. She was finally safe, and finally back with her team, her _friends_. So she cried, letting herself be weak after being strong for so long.

xXx

 _I hope my first piece in the Zoo fandom is enjoyed. Feedback is welcome and much appreciated._


End file.
